Sheila Akavan

Sheila Akavan is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where she majored in Medicine, Health, and Society on the pre-medicine track. Her research interest is focused on the intersection between telemedicine/telehealth and mental health. While in the M.A. Program, Sheila worked with Professor Heidi Bludau. 

 

Gabrielle Curran

Gabrielle Curran is a graduate of Vanderbilt University, where she majored in Medicine, Health, and Society on the Pre-Medicine track. She is a student researcher for the Plastic Surgery Lab at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Her research focuses on the intersection of medicine and technology; specifically how wearable technology will impact the future of healthcare. While in the M.A. program, Gabrielle worked with Professor Laura Stark.

 

Halcyeon Guy

Halcyeon Guy is a 2021 graduate of VirginiaPolytechnic Institute and State University (VirginiaTech), where she majored in International Relations and Criminology. She also minored in Italian, Global Engagement, and Sociology. Her research focuses on research ethics and drug development. While in theM.A. program, Halcyeon worked with ProfessorLaura Stark.

 

Ciaja Harbison

Ciaja graduated from Saint Louis University with a Bachelor of Science in Public Health in 2022. She also minored in Health Care Ethics. Her research focuses on healthcare disparities within underprivileged communities, including the African American population. While in the M.A. program, Ciaja worked with Professor Jonathan Metzl.

 

Beatrice Juskeviciute

Beatrice is a graduate of Cornell University, where shemajored in Biology and Society. Her research interests are health disparities, specifically living environments and access to food. While in the M.A. program, Beatrice worked with Professor Lucie Kalousovà.

 

Raegan Kelley

Raegan graduated from Vanderbilt University with a B.A. in Medicine, Health, and Society on the pre-medicine track while minoring in Spanish. Her research focuses on the social barriers to health among different populations and subcultures in the U.S., specifically looking at factors that affect access to healthy food, nutritional knowledge, and motivation to follow nutritional guidelines. While in the M.A.program, she worked with Professor JuLeigh Petty.

 

Ashley Keyes

Ashley is an honors graduate of Augusta University, where she received a B.A. in Anthropology on a pre-med track. Her research focuses on global women’s health in relation to maternity leave policies and health outcomes. While in the M.A. program, Ashley worked with Professor Heidi Bludau.

 

Nicole Nguyen

Nicole is a graduate of Vanderbilt University, where she received a B.A. in Neuroscience on the Pre-medicine track. Her research focuses on health disparities in mental health and its relationship to criminalization. While in the M.A. program, Nicole worked with Professor Celina Callahan-Kapoor.

 

Emma Ornduff

Emma is a graduate of Wake Forest University where she graduated with a B.S. in Biology and minors in Neuroscience, Psychology, and Bioethics, Humanities, and Medicine. Her research is focused on the intersection of veteran conceptualization of war spaces, how that differs between wars based on tactics used, and the corresponding neuroanatomy of the brain. For the duration of her Master's Program, she worked with Professor Dominique Béhague.

 

Nicolás Prada-Rey

Nicolás is a graduate of Vanderbilt University, where he double majored in Medicine, Health, & Society, and Spanish & Portuguese while minoring in French. His research focuses on healthcare disparities affecting non-English-speaking Latino immigrants and how these can be addressed with different models of care. While in the M.A. program, Nicolás worked with Professor Dominique Béhague.

 

Sonali Prillman

Sonali is a graduate of George Washington University where she double majored in History and Biology while minoring in Judaic Studies. Her research focuses on the relationship between veterans, trauma, and motorcyle gangs/clubs. While in the M.A. program, Sonali worked with Professor Kenneth MacLeish.

 

Finn Shelp-Peck

Finn is a graduate of Meredith College where they received a B.S. in biology and publich health with minors in chemistry and professional writing and media development. Their research is focused on health disparities in the trans and non-binary community and how these are apparent in clinical settings. While in the M.A. program, Finn worked in the LGBTQ+ Policy Lab with Professor Kirsty Clark.

 

Alycia Shipley

Alycia is a graduate of Vanderbilt University, where she majored in both Political Science, and Medicine, Health, and Societ with a concentration in Health Policies and Economies. Her current research focuses on analyzing harm reduction strategies to reduce deaths and disparities from the fentanyl crisis. While in the M.A. program, Alycia worked with Professor Panka Bencsik.

 

Kristin Smith

Krisitn graduated with a B.S. degree from Bucknell University in 2021 where she majored in biology and women's an dgender studies, and minored in dance. Her research is primarily focused on LGBTQ and reproductive health and social barriers to care. During the MHS M.A. progra, Kristin worked with Professor Tara McKay.

 

Natalie Thomas

Natalie is a graduate of Vanderbilt Universtiy where she received a Bachelor of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering on the Pre-medicine track. As an undergraduate, Natalie completed research in optics and biophotonics with Dr. Audrey Bowden and on the Electronic Health Record with Dr. Yaa Kumah-Crystal. She also completed her summer research internships at VUMC on provider workload with Dr. Wael Alrifai and at the Harvard-MIT Wellman Summer Institute for Biomedical Optics on cardiovascular health technology. Her current research focuses on the cardiovascular health of Southern U.S. populations and health disparities. While in the M.A. program, Natalie worked with Professor Martha Jones.

 

Daniel Wrocherinsky

Daniel is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where he majored in both Political Science and Medicine, Health, and Society with a concentration in Global Health. His research focuses on illuminating routes of political mobilization of the working class to realize economic, social, and racial justice. Inspired by his book, Dying of Whiteness: How the Politics of Racial Resentment is Killing America's Heartland, Daniel worked with Professor Jonathan Metzl while in the M.A. program.

 

Matt Zgomibc

Matt is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where he received a B.A. in Medicine, Health, and Society, and Spanish, with a minor in Chemistry. His research interests include health policy and improving standards of gender-affirming care. At Vanderbilt, Matt worked as a research assistant under Dr. Heerman for COACH, a community-based intervention to prevent obesity and promote healthy lifestyle habits for low income, LatinX families. While in the program, Matt worked with Professor JuLeigh Petty.

 

 

Odalys Arbelaez

Odalys is a graduate of Drew University, where she majored in Biology and French. Her research focuses on connecting healthcare policy to issues related to health inequity and healthcare disparities. While in the M.A. program, Odalys worked with Professor Gilbert Gonzales.

 

Brenna Atkins

Brenna is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where she majored in Medicine, Health, and Society. While in the M.A. program she worked with Professor JuLeigh Petty.

 

Jessica Creedon

Jessica is a graduate of Boston College, where she majored in Neuroscience and minored in Management and Leadership. Jessica's research interests include emotional and traumatic memory, environment-gene interactions and mental illness, and the psychophysiological response to stress. While in the M.A. program, Jessica worked with Professor Kenneth MacLeish.

 

Anyssa Francis

Anyssa is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where she majored in Medicine, Health, and Society with a minor in Chinese Language and Culture. Her current research focuses on the public health implications of cognitive impairments associated with chemotherapy treatment and the potential reversal of impairments with brain training activities. While in the M.A. program, she worked under the guidance of Professor Kenneth MacLeish.

 

Lauren Gaither

Lauren is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where she majored in Medicine, Health, and Society with Honors, and double minored in German and Biological Sciences as a Chancellor's Scholar. Her research focuses on examining the effect of various forms of healthcare marketing in different communities, including direct to consumer prescription marketing, billboards, and placement of advertisements. While in the M.A. program, she worked with Professor Lucie Kalousová.

 

Phoenix Gandy

Phoenix is a graduate of Tennessee State University, where she majored in health science with a concentration in public health. Her research analyzes African American attitudes towards dental care to understand structural and personal barriers that prevent or discourage good oral health. While in the M.A. program, she worked with Dr. Hector Myers.

 

Madison Goldsborough

Madison is a graduat eof Hampton University where she majored in Psychology with a concentration in Pre-Medicine. Her current research interests are centered around health disparities that affect marginalized communities. While in the M.A. program, she worked with Professor Kirsty Clark.

 

Emily Halvorson

Emily is a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where she majored in psychology and Spanish. Emily's research interests fall under the umbrella of health psychology and includes topics such as adverse childhood experiences and resilience, to microaggressions and health sequelae. While in the M.A. program, she worked with Professor Dominique Béhague.

 

Madiya Harriot

Madiya is a graduate of Vanderbilt University, where she majored in Medicine, Health, and Society as well as Child Development, and minored in Psychology. Madiya's research focuses on organizational empathy and how that concept impacts burnout effects in employees. While in the M.A. program, Madiya worked with Professor JuLeigh Petty.

 

Aaron Hunt

Aaron completed his undergraduate work at Vanderbilt majoring in Political Science and Medicine, Health, and Society with a minor in Sociology. His research interests include minority health outcomes, legal scholarship, and minority identity in predominantly white spaces. During the M.A. program, Aaron worked with Professor Danielle Picard.

 

Myra Konte

Myra is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where she majored in Medicine, Health, and Society. Her research interests center around intersectionality, critical race theory, and social activism. While in the MHS M.A. program, she worked with Professor Celina Callahan Kapoor.

 

Ashley Mullen

Ashley is a graduate of Vanderbilt University, where she majored in History and Medicine, Health, and Society. Her research focuses on healthcare policy and the impact of the ACA on individuals with preexisting conditions. While in the M.A. program, she worked with Professor Tara McKay.

 

Esther Park

Esther is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where she majored in Medicine, Health, and Society with a minor in Psychology. She currently has interest in researching the health disparities in physical therapy in application to structural competency. While in the M.A. program, she worked with Professor Danielle Picard.

 

Karrie Raymond

Karrie  is a graduate of VanderbiltUniversity, where she majored in Medicine, Health, and Society with a minor in Cognitive Studies. Karrie was the 2020 recipient of the Walther Award for VUcept Excellence (WAVE) in the Diversity Awareness category and the 2021 recipient of the Dr. Dorothy Wingfield Phillips Award for Leadership for her contributions to Vanderbilt’s Caribbean Students Association. Ultimately, Karrie is interested in researching topics centered on promoting health advocacy and health education programs for marginalized populations, more specifically within Black and Indigenous populations. During her time in the M.A.program, Karrie worked with Dr. Tara McKay.

 

Isabella Schafer

Isabella is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where she majored in Medicine, Health, and Society. She hopes to center her research around the impact of telemedicine on the physician-patient interaction.During her time in the M.A. program, she worked with Professor Danielle Picard.

 

Milan Severino

Milan Severino is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where she majored in Medicine, Health, and Society with a minor in Psychology. Her current research centers on developing community-based interventions for childhood obesity in underserved populations. While in the M.A. program, she worked Professor Aimi Hamraie.

 

Grace Smith

Grace Smith is a graduate of Duke University, where she studied neuroscience with minors in psychology and religion. She is broadly interested in the historical and social/biopolitical development of psychiatric diagnoses, particularly mood-, grief-, and stress-related disorders. While in the M.A. program, she worked with Professor Laura Stark.

 

Glory Stanton

Glory graduated from the University of Utah where she majored in Health Promotion and Education (Provider-Health) and minored in Sociology. Her research interests include focusing on the intersections and legal policies between racial health disparities, bioethics, and human rights law. While in the M.A. program, she worked with Dr. Jonathan Metzl.

 

Catherine Terrace

Catherine is a graduate of Trinity University, where she majored in Anthropology with a minor inPolitical Science. Her research focuses on disability justice, architecture, and critical access studies. While in the M.A. program, she worked with Professor Aimi Hamraie.

 

Spencer Turney

Spencer is a graduate of the University of Memphis where he majored in Journalism and Public Relations. His research interests center on the role of news in civil society, with specific focus on media consumption and psychology, public health, and risk communication. He hopes to combine his research with his professional experience in media relations.While in the M.A. program, he worked alongside Dr. Jonathan Metzl.

 

Amira Vivrette

Amira is a graduate of Vanderbilt University, where she majored in Medicine, Health, and Society, and Sociology and minored in Human and Organizational Development. She has interests in racial and ethnic health disparities and health justice. Amira hopes to combine her research interests to investigate access to care and health outcomes for vulnerable populations. While in the M.A. program, Amira worked with Professor JuLeigh Petty.

 

​McKenzie Yates

McKenzie is a graduate of Vanderbilt University, class of 2017, where she majored in Medicine, Health, and Society with a concentration in health and behavioral science and minored in African American & Diaspora studies. McKenzie’s research focuses on mental health disparities, specifically within the diagnostic structure, in minority communities. While a member of the MHS 4+1 program, she worked with Professor Laura Stark.

 

 

Leila Azari

Leila is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where she majored in Medicine, Health, and Society. Her research focused on exploring the topic of structural competency and the structural factors affecting the health of immigrant populations. While in the M.A. program, she worked with Professor Juleigh Petty.

 

Gabrielle Dyson

Gabrielle Dyson is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where she majored in Medicine, Health, and Society and double minored in Studio Art and Human and Organizational Development. Her research focused on the representation of race in dermatology education during medical school. While in the M.A. program, she worked with Professor Aimi Hamraie.

 

Lauren Elcan

Lauren is a graduate of Princeton University where she majored in Cultural Anthropology with a certificate in American Studies and a focus on global health. Her research centered on rural white populations in the United States and their attitudes towards healthcare, such as the Affordable Care Act, vaccines, and medical technologies, forming identities within American Society and why individuals act against their own self-interest. While in the MA program, she worked with Professor Johnathan Metzl.

 

William Fesmire

Witt Fesmire is a graduate of Vanderbilt University, where he majored in English with Honors and Medicine, Health, & Society. His research interests include the creation, maintenance, and evolution of the public understanding of health. His research focused on how news media has contributed to the public understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic. While in the M.A. program, he worked with Professor Danielle Picard.

 

Rachel Gross

Rachel is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where she majored in Medicine, Health, and Society and minored in Anthropology. Her research focused on structural competency, specifically on food access and food insecurity as structural barriers to health. While in the M.A. program, she worked with Dr. JuLeigh Petty.

 

Ryan Hale

Ryan is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where he majored in Medicine, Health, and Society and European History. His research focused on healthcare policy and how it influences the spread and containment of COVID-19. While in the M.A.program, he worked with Professor Tara McKay.

 

Elijah Hamilton

Elijah is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where he majored in Medicine, Health, and Society. His research interests include racial disparities in maternal death rates in the United States. While in the M.A. program, he worked with Professor Lauren Gaydosh.

 

Natalie Jones

Natalie is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where she majored in Medicine, Health, and Society. Her research interest focused on the health care experiences of geriatric patients in the Emergency Department, specifically looking at what patient-oriented outcomes matter most among the aging population. While in the M.A. program, she worked with Professor Lauren Gaydosh.

 

Sarah Marriott

Sarah is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where she majored in Medicine, Health, and Society and Spanish.Her research focused on structural vulnerability and its potential operationalization in public health. She plans to complete a practicum with Dignidad Obrera, a grassroots organization in Nashville striving to reduce wage theft and workplace injury among Latinx laborers in the city. While in the M.A program, she worked under the guidance of Dr. JuLeigh Petty.

 

Andre Mintze

Andre is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where he majored in Medicine, Health, and Society with a minor in Cinema Media Arts. His research focused on the structural vulnerability surrounding the NCAA having student-athletes play sports during the COVID-19 pandemic. While in the MHS 4+1 program, he worked with Professor JuLeigh Petty.

 

Madison Noall

Madison is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where she majored in Medicine, Health, and Society. She was a research assistant in Dr. Jennifer Urbano-Blackford’s Developmental Affective Neuroscience Lab. Madison’s research interests include anxiety and anxiety neurocircuitry, as well as the role of interdisciplinarity in the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders. While in the M.A. program, she worked under the guidance of Dr. Laura Stark.

 

Enna Pehadzic

 

Katie Phillips

Katie is graduate of Vanderbilt University where she majored in Medicine, Health and Society and Economics and minored in Spanish. Her research focused on the intersection of health policy and economics in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. While in the M.A. program, she worked with Professor Tara McKay.

 

Olivia Post

Olivia is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where she majored in Psychology, Spanish, and Medicine, Health, and Society. She has broad interests in the field of mental health, and formulated research centered around college mental health narratives during the COVID-19 pandemic. While in the M.A. program, she worked with Dr. Danielle Picard.

 

Christina Rosca

Christina is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where she graduated with highest honors in Neuroscience. Her areas of interest in research included health disparities, visual and cognitive science, and mental health. While in the M.A. program, she worked with Dr. Hector Myers.

 

Kimberly (Cecile) Saleh

Cecile is a graduate of North Carolina State University where she majored in Biological Sciences with a concentration in Integrative Physiology and Neurobiology. She also has a minor in Philosophy and a minor in Health, Medicine, and Human Values. Her research uses a biomedical ethics lens for assessing health disparities, and making practical changes in health policy. While in the M.A. program, she worked with Dr. Derek Griffith.

Samantha Brickel

Samantha is a graduate of Lipscomb University, where she majored in European History. She has broad interests in the history of diseases and disabilities and how they affected those in differing socio-economic backgrounds. Her research centers on the history of tuberculosis in the nineteenth century and how it affected minorities and those from poverty-stricken households. While in the M.A. program, she worked with Dr. Laura Stark.

 

Rowan Godwin

Rowan is a graduate of the University of South Alabama, where he majored in Criminal Justice. His research aimed to address the concepts of order and autonomy in America’s correctional facilities and how these concepts affect correctional health care. While in the M.A.program, he worked with Professor Kenneth MacLeish.

 

Kylie Hardin

Kylie graduated from Vanderbilt University, where she majored in Medicine, Health, and Society and minored in Biology and English. Her research interests included understanding the influence of different forms of media on the way patients conceptualize and engage with the medical encounter. While in the MA program, she worked with Professor JuLeigh Petty.

 

Breanna Herron

Breanna graduated from Vanderbilt University, where she majored in Medicine, Health, and Society. Her research focuses on how to minimize health care access disadvantages to elderly patients through the use of mobile clinics. While in the MA program, she worked with Dr. Jonathan Metzl.

 

Andriana Johnson

Andriana is a graduate of Vanderbilt University, where she majored in Medicine, Health, and Society. Her research centered on the role that social media plays in acting simultaneously as a site of trauma and as an arena for collective coping following exposure to trauma. While in the M.A.program, she worked with Professor Danielle Picard.

 

Wilfred Morse

Wil is a graduate of Vanderbilt University, where he majored in Medicine, Health, and Society and Economics. He is currently a full-time Business Development Analyst at Contessa Health. Through his employment, Wil works with hospitals and health care institutions to increase efficiency and decrease healthcare costs. While in the M.A. program, he worked with Dr. JuLeigh Petty.

 

Marissa Pardini

Marissa is a graduate of Tulane University, where she double majored in Public Health and Spanish, and minored in Latin American Studies. Her research interests include emotions, the body, death and dying, and caregiving in end-of-life care. Marissa is currently researching disordered eating through an emotional framework. While in the M.A. program, she worked with Professor Dominique Béhague.

 

Caleb Peart

Caleb is a graduate of Vanderbilt University, where he majored in Medicine, Health, and Society and African American Studies. His current research focuses on masculinity, racial identity, and gun violence. While in the M.A. program, he worked with Professor Jonathan Metzl.

 

Payton Robinette

Payton graduated from Vanderbilt University, where she majored in English literature. She has a variety of interests within medicine and focused her research on the social determinants of pain. Her primary research interests are health literacy and the patient-provider relationship. While in the M.A.program, she worked with Professor GilbertGonzales.

 

Henning Ander

Henning is a graduate of Rollins College where he majored in mathematics. He has broad interests within medicine and hopes to tie in clinical research with the study of mental health. He combined his research interests in psychosocial, physical, and functional forms of medicine. While in the M.A. program, he worked with Professor Dominique Béhague.

 

Summer Brown

Summer graduated from Vanderbilt University as a student-athlete with a double-major in English and Medicine, Health, and Society and a minor in Chemistry. Her research in the BA/MA 4+1 program focused on analyzing and critiquing literature that effectively and efficiently communicates health information, diagnosis, and treatment plans between a doctor and patient. While in the M.A. program, she worked with Professor Kym Weed.

 

Brittany Cox

Brittany graduated from Emory University in 2016 with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Sociology. Her research interests include food deserts in America, specifically, how low fruit and vegetable consumption affects the health of people who live in these areas. She is also interested in learning about effective interventions to promote access to healthy foods and education on how to easily incorporate them into one’s diet. While in the M.A. program, she worked with Dr. David Schlundt.

 

Mary Claire Dachille

Mary Claire graduated with honors from Vanderbilt University where she majored in Sociology. Her research focused on the quality of life of injured student-athletes and how there are deeper links of depression and anxiety disorders from traumatic career ending injuries. While in the M.A. program, she worked with Dr. Lauren Gaydosh.

 

Jennifer Edobi

Jennifer is an American born Nigerian from Union, New Jersey. She graduated from Vanderbilt University as a student-athlete in track and field with a major in Medicine, Health, and Society and a minor in Psychology. While in the M.A. program, she worked with Professor Martha Jones.

 

Samuel Edwards

Samuel graduated from Vanderbilt University where he majored in Medicine, Health, andSociety. His research focused on understanding how those with chronic illnesses and those surrounded by chronic illness or trauma perceive what it means to be healthy. While in the M.A. program, he worked with Dr. Hector Myers

 

Merna El-Rifai

Merna is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where she majored in Medicine, Health, and Society and Psychology. Her research interests include health policy, specifically policies that target health disparities and improve the quality and accessibility of care. Merna is also interested in the mental health of immigrant populations in the US and how acculturation may affect mental health. While in the M.A. program, she worked with Professor Hector Myers.

 

Sahar Fakhruddin

Sahar is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where she majored in Medicine, Health, and Society and minored in Corporate Strategy. Her research interests include the intersection between immigration and health policy, specifically looking at immigrant health disparities through the lens of biopower and critical race theory. While in the M.A. program, she worked with Professor Kenneth MacLeish.

 

Briana Gochett

Briana is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where she majored in Medicine, Health, and Society and minored in Psychology. Her research focuses on physician boundary violations, the patient-physician relationship, and professional development resources for healthcare professionals. While in the M.A. program, she worked with Dr. Jonathan Metzl.

 

Daniel Hecht

Daniel is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where he majored in Medicine, Health, and Society and minored in Chemistry. He is interested in researching how the political leaning of a state impacts the access to mental health resources in low-income communities. While in the M.A. program, he worked with Professor Martha Jones.

 

Kylie Hardin

Kylie graduated from Vanderbilt University, where she majored in Medicine, Health, and Society and minored in Biology and English. Her research interests include understanding the influence of different forms of media on the way patients conceptualize and engage with the medical encounter. While in the MA program, she worked with Professor Kym Weed.

 

Maggie Mang

Maggie is a graduate of Emory University where she majored in philosophy and biology. She has broad interests in critical health studies, philosophy and history of science and medicine, feminist studies, and biopolitics. While in the M.A. Program, she worked with Professor Aimi Hamraie.

 

Jeremy Mani

Jeremy is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where he majored in Medicine, Health, and Society and minored in Psychology and Spanish. His research interests include an evaluation of mental-health triage checklists for targeting opioid addiction in emergency departments. While in the M.A. program, he worked with Professor Derek Griffith.

 

Manisha Mishra

Manisha is a graduate of The University of NorthCarolina at Chapel Hill where she majored in Biology and Medical Humanities and minored in Chemistry.Her research interests include the doctor-patient relationship, medical pedagogy, clinical empathy, and bioethics. While in the M.A. program, she worked with Professor Jonathan Metzl.

 

Jordan Moody

Jordan is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where she majored in Medicine, Health, and Society and Women’s and Gender Studies and minored in French. Her research focused on the integration of global health, justice, spirituality and communities of faith, and social activism. While in the M.A. program, she worked with Professor Aimi Hamraie.

 

Qianhui (Loro) Pi

Loro is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where she double majored in Anthropology and Medicine, Health, and Society. Her research focuses on the phenomenon of global medical brain drain and ethical policy making. While in the MA program, she worked with Professor Kym Weed.

 

Rebecca Rahimi

Rebecca is a graduate of California State University, Northridge where she majored in English literature. Her research centers on the roles of storytelling, nostalgia, and home in forming the identities of Iranian Revolutionary migrants and their American-born children. While in the MA program, she worked with Professor Kenneth MacLeish.

 

Mathias Schreiner

Mathias graduated from Vanderbilt University where he majored in Neuroscience and Russian. His current research uses cost-utility analysis to guide clinical health decision-making. While in the MA program, he worked with Professor Jonathan Metzl in MHS and Professor Ashley Leech in the Health Policy department.

 

Lauren Taylor

Lauren is a graduate of Clemson University, where she majored in Sociology. Her research interests include social determinants of health, health disparities, medical sociology and health policy. Her research focused on evaluating financial burdens and cost-related non adherence in patients with chronic blood cancers. While in the M.A.program, she worked with Professor Tara McKay in MHS and Professor Stacie Dusetzina in the Health Policy department.

 

Grayson Thompson

Grayson is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where he majored in Molecular and Cellular Biology and Medicine, Health, and Society. He is interested in studying gun violence and gun control legislation in the Nashville area. While in the M.A. program, he worked withProfessor Derek Griffith.

 

Elsa Young

Elsa graduated from Vanderbilt University where she double-majored in Molecular Biology and Medicine,Health, and Society. Her research interests include the social determinants of malnutrition as well as the intersection of agriculture and nutrition, with a specific focus on Latin America. While in the MA program, she worked with Dr. Kym Weed.

 

 

Simone Charley

Charley is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where she double-majored in Psychology and Sociology. She is interested in researching mental health and how it intersects with criminality and race. In the MA program, she worked with Professor Derek Griffith.

 

Ryan Dal Degan

Dal is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where he majored in MHS and minored in Psychology and Spanish. He is particularly interested in public health research and the emerging field of mental healthcare. He worked in Professor David Schlundt’s lab within Vanderbilt’s Psychology department, where he assisted with data analysis on a variety of research projects related to improving health outcomes through diet based interventions targeting SNAP recipients funded through the AARP. While in the M.A. program, he worked with Professor Derek Griffith

 

Ashley Ehlert

Ashley is a graduate of Clemson University where she majored in Biological sciences. Her two main interests include improving healthcare for veterans and continuing to improve global healthcare and policy. While in the M.A. program, Ehlert worked with Professor Laura Stark.

 

Elizabeth Manning

Elizabeth is a graduate of Oberlin College where she majored in Biology. Her research centers on how transgender people who do not identify as men or women navigate relationships with their health care providers. While in the MA program, she worked with Professor Hector Myers.

 

Meredith Mattlin

Meredith is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where she double majored in Medicine, Health & Society and Sociology and minored in film. She is interested in health disparities in urban environments and food deserts’ impact on health. While in the MA program, she worked with Professor Laura Stark.

 

Alexis Mundo

Alexis is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where he received a degree in Medicine, Health, & Society and Spanish. He is interested in pursuing a career in hospital administration, and will use the MA program to strengthen his understanding of the social foundations of health. Mundo worked with Professor Jonathan Metzl.

 

Beatríz Satizábal

Satizábal is a graduate of the University of Tennessee where she majored in Race & Ethnicity in the United States and minored in Leadership Studies. Her research interests are health disparities among Hispanics in the United States and the effects of migration on global health. She is interested in pursuing a PhD in global or population health sciences. While in the M.A. program, she worked with Professor Hector Myers.

 

Lydia Simmons

Simmons is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where she double-majored in Child Development and Medicine, Health, and Society. She is interested in researching health disparities in minorities as well as the effects of gentrification. In the MA program, she worked with Professor Jonathan Metzl.

 

Kristin Troutman

Troutman is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where she majored in Medicine, Health, & Society and Spanish. She is interested in the effects that language barriers have on healthcare access and health outcomes, specifically within the Spanish-speaking population. While in the MA program, she worked with Professor Dominique Béhague.

 

Courtney VanHouten

VanHouten is a graduate of Belmont University where she majored in Sociology and Psychology. Her academic interests include the social foundations of knowledge, specifically the sociology of scientific knowledge, and the modern construction of mortality. Her current research explores the intersection of American medical culture and death and the dying process. While in the MA program she worked with Dr. JuLeigh Petty in the Center for Medicine, Health, and Society and Dr. Laurie Novak in the Department of Biomedical Informatics.

Alexandra Blair is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where she majored in Medicine, Health, and Society and minored in Managerial Studies Corporate Strategies. Her interests include the political, racial, and socioeconomic dimensions of HIV/AIDS, and the intersection of intervention and theory involved in reducing the burden of HIV/AIDS. While in the MA program, she worked with Professor Tara McKay and examine HIV/AIDS in the U.S. South.

 

Muhammad ‘Zain’ Chauhan is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where he majored in Medicine, Health, and Society with a minor in Neuroscience. Zain’s interests revolve around the intersections of medicine, technology, and health. More specifically, he wished to understand the factors that influence medical decision making in private practice. While in the MA program, he worked with Dr. Michael Richards and Dr. Martha Jones analyzing the factors that influence adoption rates of electronic dental record technology in rural and urban areas across several states.

 

Venus Green is a graduate of the University of California, Irvine where she majored in PoliticalScience, African American Studies, and Women’s Studies. Her interests include examining how microaggressions and the psychosocial wellbeing of middle class African American women contribute to adverse birth outcomes, and exploring how medical school curricula incorporate the effects of racism on health. While in the MA program she worked with Professors Johnathan Metzl, Hector Myers, and Tony Brown to study multigenerational inheritance of risk, how racism causes health disparities, and how sociological inquiry models can draw from African American women’s epistemologies of combating structural violence to sustain well-being.

 

Safiah Hassan is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where she majored in Medicine, Health, and Society and minored in Spanish. Her interests include how discrimination based on religion and citizenship status plays an added role in racial and ethnic health disparities. While in the MA program, she worked with Gabriel Mendes to study how health disparities manifest in Muslim communities.

 

Peter Kent-Stoll is a graduate of the University of California, Irvine where he majored in public health policy. His interests include examining racial health disparities, the politics of knowledge production in the health fields, and the sociopolitical context of disease. While in the MA program he worked with Professors Derek Griffith and Kenneth MacLeish to study the relation between biomedical and political discourses of individual responsibility, causal frameworks of disease, and African Americans’ illness experiences.

 

Miller Morris is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where she majored in Medicine, Health, and Society and Cognitive Studies, with a minor in Women’s and Gender Studies. Her interests include travel, scuba diving, cooking, and women’s health. While in the MA program, she hopes to contribute to the emerging field of radical epidemiology through studying the way patriarchal discrimination can influence the spread of sexual transmitted infections, and how social justice can intersect with infectious disease prevention.

 

Yemi Olubowale is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology where he majored in Biological Sciences. His interests include international acute care systems, domestic disparities in healthcare access, global health and the political and social dimensions of healthcare for the homeless. While in the MA program, he is working with Dr. Maya Yiadom in the Vanderbilt Department of Emergency Medicine to study the disparities in care concerned with STEMI heart attacks.

 

Megan Ward is a graduate of The University of Alabama where she majored in Biology and minored in Addiction and Recovery. Her research interests include different types of addictions and treatments for them, Traumatic Brain Injuries in sports, mental health problems resulting from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, and the refugee and immigrant populations, specifically at Siloam Family Health Center in Nashville. While in the MA program, she worked with Dr. Ronald Cowan in studying the neurobiology of sexual addiction and sexual health. She plans on attending medial school after completing the MA program.

 

Trixie Yabut is a graduate of Vanderbilt University, where she majored in Medicine, Health, and Society. Her interests include Global Health, social justice, and barriers to healthcare access and health disparities in refugee and immigrant populations. While in the MA program, she will work with Professor Dominique Béhague and study the health risks unaccompanied minor asylum seekers and refugees face as they migrate and transition to their new homes.

Juliana Buccino is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where she majored in Medicine, Health, and Society. Her interests include, maternal and infant health, the midwifery movement, holistic healthcare practices, and the political, racial, and socioeconomic dimensions of women’s healthcare, especially regarding birth & breastfeeding. While in the MA program, she worked with Professor Tara McKay to study the impacts of race, maternal education level, and socioeconomic status on birth outcomes and breastfeeding rates in Davidson county.

 

Sharon Zipporah Champion (“Z”) is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where she majored in African American & Diaspora Studies and Medicine, Health, & Society. Her interests include dance, social awareness activities and volunteering. While in the MA program she will work with Professors Béhague and Metzl to study prevention and intervention strategies to measure and reduce racial & ethnic inequities, and she will explore how language describes and shapes health in different types of bodies.

 

Betsy Galenti is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where she majored in Medicine, Health, and Society. Her interests include swimming as she was a scholarship swimmer during her time at Vanderbilt and currently coaches and instructs at the Nashville Aquatic Club. While in the MA program she worked with Laura Stark and study dental health disparities.

 

Venus Green is a graduate of the University of California, Irvine where she majored in Political Science, African American Studies, and Women’s Studies. Her interests include examining how microaggressions and the psychosocial wellbeing of middle class African American women contributes to adverse birth outcomes, and exploring how medical school curricula incorporate the effects of racism on health. While in the MA program she worked with Professors Johnathan Metzl, Hector Myers, and Tony Brown to study multigenerational inheritance of risk, how racism causes health disparities, and how to sociological inquiry models can draw from African American women’s epistemologies of combating structural violence to sustain well-being.

 

Alonzo Jones II is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where he doubled majored in Medicine Health and Society and Classical Studies. His interests include healthcare administration, global health, and health policy. While in the MA program he worked with Professor Laura Stark to study the health effects of gentrification in metro Nashville.

 

Julianne Locher is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where she majored in Psychology and Medicine,Health, and Society. Her interests include Chicago sports, Vanderbilt athletics, mental health research, and technology. While in the MA program, she worked with Professor Hector Myers to study the effects of concussions on athletes’ mental health.

 

Meera Nagarsheth is a graduate of the University of Miami where majored in Microbiology and Immunology. Her interests include social medicine, social justice and community-based participatory research (CBPR). While in the MA program, Meera worked with Professors Derek Griffith and Hector Myers to study the extent to which medical school curricula incorporate social medicine principles. She also will work on CBPR interventions, conduct clinical research and study social and health inequalities. Upon completion of the program, Meera will attend medical school at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

 

Sabre Rucker is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where she double majored in Anthropology and Medicine, Health, & Society. Her interests include understanding how the body regulates itself to stave off illness and disease and the intangible factors that can affect the health of an individual and various populations. While in the MA program, she worked with Professor Aimi Hamraie to study the effects of the built environment and urban planning on the health of Nashville communities.

 

Rachel Turner is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where she majored in Medicine, Health, and Society and minored in Chemistry. Her research interests include the social determinants of health disparities and the role of epidemiological evidence in medical decision-making. While in the MA program she worked with Professors JuLeigh Petty and Jonathan Metzl to study the pre-med curriculum to determine the extent to which MHS and non-MHS students are culturally competent and structurally competent. Upon graduation, Rachel seeks to pursue a medical degree in reconstructive surgery.

Christopher Gross is interested in how individual patient and provider narratives interface and influence each other, as they relate to quality of health service delivery. Examining this intersection provides evidence for improving both patient experience, provider efficacy, and healthcare team dynamics. His other area of interest is global health, particularly psychosocial barriers such as social/cultural stigma and health belief models.

 

Kristin Hill

 

Garrett King

 

Katie Marrero’s research interests focus on racial and ethnic health disparities, focusing more specifically on men’s health. Katie hopes to apply this in a local and global setting. She plans to work in clinical medicine after obtaining her masters.

 

Renee Martin was interested in refugee health outcomes, global and domestic equity and delivery of care, maternal and children’s health outcomes.

 

Jessica Meyer was interested in how social determinants of health impact health equity and poverty. By exploring the relationship between global health, economic development and health policy, her research endeavors seek to improve health outcomes at the community level. Her more specific interests include food policy, nutrition and obesity, how immigration impacts health, and healthcare reform.

 

Robert Sacks was interested in the cultural constructs of health, medical technologies, disability studies, and mental and physical health disparities. After the MHS 4+1 program, Robert intends to pursue a career in clinical medicine.

 

Else Sharp

 

Brian Smith

 

Jori Turner As a proponent of holistic medicine, Jori is interested in nutrition, exercise, and mental health. Her interests also include racial and health disparities and their affect on healthy lifestyles, particularly among youth. Upon graduation, Jori seeks to find employment in the world of public health and continue on to earn her Ph.D in a public health-related field.

Kelly Dennen was employed by InVivoLink, a healthcare technology company in Nashville, where she interned as part of her 4+1 MA research. She completed her MHS research project in the Dominican Republic. Her research interests include health promotion, healthcare technology, global disease prevention, exercise and nutrition, and integrative health solutions.

 

Matthew Goldstein’s research interests include preventative medicine and healthcare delivery to lower and middle income countries.

 

Elina Nektalova After graduating in summer 2014, Elina traveled for a year as an MHS affiliate with International Volunteer HQ (IVHQ) studying traditional medicine. Then, she is off to New York Medical College to pursue an MD/MPH. Her research interests include gender dichotomies, health disparities, global public health, and healthcare delivery.

 

Ashley Stephens After graduating in summer 2014, Ashley accepted a full-time position in Nashville as the Clinical Ethics Fellow for Saint Thomas Health where she will assume a leadership role with each hospital’s ethics committee and ethics consultation service. She will also be working as a research assistant with Tennessee Orthopedic Alliance to continue pursuing her interest in research ethics via participating in efforts to maintain IRB protocols, informed consent procedures, participant recruitment, and data collection.